Bane
Characters article |image=Char0050 143.png |caption=Bane in Blood Omen. |introduced= Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996) |appearances= Blood Omen}} Bane the Druid was a member of the Circle of Nine. He served as the human Guardian of Nature from the slaughter of the Circle in Nosgoth's early history to the [[Events of Blood Omen|events of Blood Omen]]. He appeared in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Tainted by the corruption of the Pillars, Bane formed a triad with Anarcrothe the Alchemist and DeJoule the Energist in a plan to reshape Nosgoth. Kain gave chase to him and DeJoule in Dark Eden, killing both sorcerers in a fierce battle. By returning Bane's Antler Headdress to the Pillars of Nosgoth, Kain temporarily restored the Pillar of Nature. Profile Nosgoth's early history Bane's predecessor, the martyred Guardian of Nature, was one of six of the sorcerers murdered in Nosgoth's early history by the vampire Vorador, taking revenge upon the Circle for their sponsorship of the Sarafan crusade. When she died, the supernatural force behind the Pillars called a worthy successor, Bane, destined from birth to fulfill his role. In return, Bane was granted longevity and extraordinary powers. It was the responsibility of the remaining Guardians to seek out and apprentice him into the Circle. Bane's Antler Headdress was the artifact that served as his link to the Pillar of Nature. The history preceding Blood Omen After Nupraptor descended into madness, corrupting the Pillars, Bane was affected by the corruption and turned against nature; "creating new and weird lifeforms for his own purposes"*, eventually joining with fellow corrupted guardians Dejoule the Energist (Energy Guardian) and Anarcrothe the Alchemist (States Guardian) to create Dark Eden and its creatures. The events of Blood Omen In Blood Omen, Kain's quest diverted him into the Termogent Forest, seeking Vorador's aid in defeating Malek and when Kain emerged he spotted Dark Eden and the dome of energy rising from the tower. Suspecting the involvement of corrupted Guardians, Kain travelled to the Dark Eden; passing unscathed through the dome and witnessing the hideous mutations of nature within. As Kain reached the tower at the heart of Dark Eden and found the three guardians responsible, Bane acknowledged Kain as the "scourge of the circle" before Anarcrothe summoned Malek to defend them and teleported away, leaving Bane and Dejoule to escape on foot. Summoning Vorador to face Malek, Kain pursued the two guardians outside and confronted them. As Dejoule fired energy projectiles at Kain, Bane laid water traps for him by digging away strips of earth. Once Kain caught the druid he was able to overpower and kill him (along with DeJoule). Once Bane was defeated, Kain was able to recover his Pillar Token, Bane's Antler Headdress, and returning it to the Pillars, restored the Pillar of Nature; albeit only temporarily. Development The Silicon Knights website included a character biography of Bane: }} At some point during development of Blood Omen, Bane was known as "Orzach the Ecomancer" Apocrypha Bane is mentioned in the background to Nosgoth in the backstory of the Alchemists and the red sisters of Anacrothe - where he and the rest of the Dark Eden triad are cited as an example of the elemental knowledge that was lost and became legend to the Humans under the rule of Kain's empire in the [[Events of Soul Reaver|events of Soul Reaver]]. 'Alchemists - Arcane Cultists with a Thirst for Revenge' at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160405205526/https://www.nosgoth.com/blog Nosgoth official blog] (by George Kelion) (preserved at Tales of Nosgoth/Nosgothic Realm) Bane was also mentioned in the background to the Beastmaster class, where it was said that he and the other members of the triad were worshipped by the groups of mutated humans that lived in Dark Eden after the fall of the triad - ultimately giving birth to the 'scourge of the wild' faction that sought to tame nature and the environment to their control. 'Beastmasters – the Scourge of the Wild' at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160405205526/https://www.nosgoth.com/blog Nosgoth official blog] (by Chris 'Oghamsmith' Murphy/PapaLegba) (preserved at [https://forums.eu.square-enix.com/showthread.php?t=185676 Square Enix Nosgoth official forums]/Tales of Nosgoth) Bane was also noted to have been worshipped by some humans as a diety as Bane the Lord of Life. 'The Sacred and the Profane' at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160405205526/https://www.nosgoth.com/blog Nosgoth official blog] (by Chris 'Oghamsmith' Murphy) (preserved at [https://forums.eu.square-enix.com/showthread.php?t=183842 Square Enix Nosgoth official forums]/Tales of Nosgoth) 'Beastmasters – the Scourge of the Wild' at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160405205526/https://www.nosgoth.com/blog Nosgoth official blog] (by Chris 'Oghamsmith' Murphy/PapaLegba) (preserved at [https://forums.eu.square-enix.com/showthread.php?t=185676 Square Enix Nosgoth official forums]/Tales of Nosgoth) Notes *Bane is likely named after the several poisonous or 'protective' plants widely believed in the Middle Ages to have special properties (such a preventing Werewolf transformations). Bane is described as a "Druid" - a pre-Christian religious 'priest class' found in parts of Britain, Ireland and France; which implies (in etymology at least) a relationship to sorcery and nature. *Bane's age is not conclusively discussed in the series, but since we know that a Nature Guardian was killed by Vorador in Nosgoth's early history, Bane cannot be older than 500 years at the time of the events of Blood Omen. It is not clear if Bane was born as a direct successor to this guardian, or years later after the death of another - under the guise of the Oracle of Nosgoth, Moebius tells Kain that Malek has "allowed no members of the Circle to fall" since Vorador's attack, five centuries before, and this claim would imply that Ariel, Anarcrothe, Azimuth, Bane, DeJoule and Nupraptor were the direct successors of the martyred Guardians killed by Vorador, and had each served for almost five hundred years. However, Moebius's comment was at least partially flawed, and should probably not be taken at face value: it failed to account for the death of Ariel, which had taken place thirty years earlier, and the deaths of Nupraptor and Kain himself, which had occurred recently. *Bane greets Kain as "the scourge of the circle", clearly indicating that he is aware of Kain's quest to eliminate the corrupted guardians, and possibly aware of Kain's murder of Nupraptor. See also * Bane the Druid at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn). References Browse Category:Blood Omen Category:Browse Category:Characters Category:Characters/Blood Omen major characters Category:Characters/Blood Omen it:Bane il Druido